Jesus Died for More Than Me!

It’s a wonderful thought and even more so because it’s true, but I think we often forget one small factor: Jesus didn’t die just to save me. He would have, had I been the only person in the whole world. But the Bible says “For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son”. The word “world” in the Greek is Cosmos, and in this particular verse it refers to the human race.

Jesus died for me, but he also died for the whole world. I think as Christians, we like to dwell on the fact that Jesus died for “Me” and we sometimes treat others like He did not die for them. Instead we begin to view ourselves as somehow more worthy of Christ’s love.

When I truly stop to think about it, I am shocked at how easily I judge others. Instead of seeing them as (1) another child of God who may not have the same standards or preferences that I do, or (2) a lost person who desperately needs to be told about Jesus Christ, I think we tend to sit back and compare ourselves.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt

When we sit in church and hear the pastor talk about the pride of the Pharisees, it’s easy to shake our heads in disapproval and think about how evil and selfish they were. But when church is over and we find ourselves in similar circumstances, surrounded by people who are different then we are, if we truly stop to think, we will most likely find ourselves copying them rather than following the example of Christ. How many times have you compared your standards with others, or mentally judged someone in the grocery store? It’s a habit; it happens all the time and we don’t even realize how much we do it.

John 7:24 – Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment

The thing is, our flesh wants us to feel more important – like we somehow deserve Christ’s gift – when in fact as Paul stated, “I am the least of all sinners” – or in other words, “I am the lowest of the low.” We deserve nothing but death and hell, yet Jesus came and gave His life for us. Jesus showed us by His own example that no sin was too great for Him to forgive. If Jesus, the perfect Son of God, was willing to give His life for those who would nail Him to a cross, is it so much to ask of His children that they put away their judgmental attitudes towards others and take the time to share the truth in love?

Ephesians 4:15 – But Speaking the Truth in Love, May grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

The next time you start to judge someone, stop and remember that just as Jesus died for you, He died for that person too.